The Sins Are Taking Over
by DontWaitUpForMe
Summary: After a mission gone wrong and her coincidental acquirement of ten oddly intelligent nin-wolves, Sakura finds herself unknowingly housing the subjects of all her nightmares. It isn't long before she grows attached...and the feelings are reciprocated. Mainly Akasaku. Some Multisaku. AU after Pein Invasion. Significant Canon Divergence.
1. Give It All You Got

Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictitious in all aspects and does not generate any profit whatsoever. The creative rights for the characters mentioned belong to their original creators. Any lyrics and quotes cited belong to their respectful originators.

**The Sins Are Taking Over**

"**Give It All You Got."**

**~ \ ~ Prologue Start. ~ / ~**

"How many ninja are in the ANBU Black Ops Division in Konoha?" The voice of the Sound interrogator was gruff, rough from years of smoking and yelling. Large, calloused hands –evidence of his seniority in his area of expertise- flipped a kunai skillfully, a wicked gleam of poison dripping down the sharp edge. The movement was meant to scare his captive, or perhaps strengthen the underlying threat laced in his tone. The man had an intimidating aura; something about his self-confidence seemed to magnify the effect of his words. She knew he was going to hurt her. Yet, there was no heavy weight of terror pooling in her gut, no inkling of heart-stopping, stiffening, _crippling _dread (because nowadays if she were to feel fear, it would be paralyzing and no less). Maybe the absence was because nothing he did would make her utter a word about her home…No. She knew better.

Nothing he did could be worse than what _that woman _had done.

Thinking anything different would just be insulting.

"So, we have to do this the hard way?" She resisted the urge to roll her dull –_normal, commonplace-_brown eyes. This guy was a complete idiot. Did he really think an ANBU would so easily give up information? He hadn't even drawn blood yet. It would take a _lot _more than words to get her to speak, let alone frighten her. The only person who had ever successfully scared her as of late was Morino Ibiki, and this moron had _nothing _on that man.

Sakura shifted in her bindings, wrists and ankles tied to the legs of the chair with chakra-restraining cuffs. All her armor had been removed during the time she had been unconscious. Silently, the kunoichi thanked Shikamaru, one of her teammates, for suggesting that all ANBU masks contain the jutsu that made it next to impossible for them to be taken off by someone other than the wearer. The bulky ninja had tried and failed to take off her Washi mask, porcelain set in the face of an Eagle. It was specially modified for her, putting up a continuous henge to keep her unique features from view. Everyone knew about the Hokage's second apprentice of the legendary Team 7 as well as of the sole female member of ANBU Team Phoenix, but few were privileged to the knowledge that they were one and the same. She wished to keep it that way. Thankfully, keeping her identity a secret (hidden behind a fully covered face, murky coffee-colored eyes and hair) was not a part of her current set of issues.

Ugh, Shiranui better be fucking grateful she had taken the fall for his mistake. If not for his negligence, the mission would have been a perfect success—instead, Sakura, as captain, was in for a no doubt unlikable experience. When she got back, he was going to wish he'd _never been born_.

The torture-expert advanced forward slowly, a twisted grin contorting his already menacing features. Sakura –although it was off-topic and definitely not aiding her in any way _whatsoever_\- couldn't help but think one thing:

He was one _ugly _mother fucker.

**.**

**.**

"Gah!" Sakura grunted as rough hands yanked her off the floor of the cell she had been placed (thrown) in. The torture had been long and grueling, six hours of nonstop cutting, burning, breaking, and bruising. Everywhere ached, though what hurt the most was the red, raw skin on the tops of her forearms.

The sizzling heat of two smoldering hot irons placed on each of her arms was only a precursor to the gruesome conclusion of her suffering. She feared she would never be able to look at sandpaper the same way again. A shiver raced down her spine when she remembered the sound of the rough parchment swiping across her tender, burnt flesh. It was unpleasant. As Sakura looked down at her arms, she grimaced at their grisly appearance.

She would have healed them, but the amount of chakra in her reserves was pitifully small. It was a good thing she had near perfect control, or else this would have _never_ worked_._ Her shishou would have shit a brick if she knew how big of a risk taker her surrogate daughter/ favorite ANBU captain/ second apprentice actually was. That –amongst other things- was one of the reasons she was damn good at her job and proud of it, too.

Taking in the figures and musculatures of the two men dragging her forward, Sakura narrowed her eyes, plans racing like rapid-fire through her mind. _To Hell with it. _Tensing her legs, her spiked sandals found traction on the floor and pushing off with this momentum, she gripped the guards' upper arms and pulled them towards each other. Caught unawares, they slammed heads, a loud _crack! _echoing in the emptiness of the hall, the force knocking their teeth. Sakura took the given moment to gather some chakra in her right foot. As one ninja regained his balance, he lunged for her, anger twisting what could have been a fair face into a grizzly misinterpretation. She swung her leg and kicked him in the gut, sending his back slamming into the wall. In a flash, Sakura had her hands around his throat and twisted, a sickening _snap! _letting her know she had successfully broken his neck.

The other one hit her from behind, knocking the wind clear from her lungs. She scowled, tasting the familiar iron tang of blood accumulating behind her split lip and spitting it to the floor. Fueling her hand with chakra, she struck with the poise of a cobra, fingers penetrating skin and ripping the artery she aimed for clean out of her attacker's neck. He gurgled once, a pathetic, choked cough, before slumping to the floor, blood pooling in a flood of red around his body, eyes black and unseeing.

Cake.

That was almost too easy.

Sakura spared them no other glance, far too accustomed to the act of killing to feel such human emotions like regret or guilt. (How could she not be after everything she'd seen?) Right then, though, she needed to run, and fast.

The pinkette shot off, sprinting down the hall, the only sound a shrill whistling of air past her ears. They must have kept the jail cells away from all the other sectors in the hideout, perhaps to make sure the prisoners didn't hear or see anything they weren't supposed to. This was to her advantage and paired with the fact they underestimated her willpower –fools, have they not heard of the Will of Fire?- she knew breaking out would be a simple feat.

Sharply turning a corner, Sakura halted, faltering when she heard something expressly horrifying.

Crying.

High-pitched keening.

For several moments, a boiling inferno of anger and hatred opened up in the pit of her stomach before the medic in her took control, directing her body to race towards the room it was coming from. She wouldn't put it past that sick snake-bastard to experiment on infants. _Orochimaru's sick enough to do something like that_.

Sakura threw open the door, bursting into the room with fists clenched, killing intent clear in the air despite her lack of chakra. Her entrance caused the deep, mournful whimpers to cease, the air turning tense.

Her first thought was _trap, _but her instincts were not screaming for evasive maneuvers, her eyes caught no offensive movements from the dark. Cautiously, she moved inside.

Inside the dim area, two large cages sat, black, shadowed figures hiding ominously behind the bars. Curiosity fueling her actions, Sakura felt against the wall by the door frame, flipping the switch when she found it. Lights flickered on above-head, illuminating a room occupied by shelves and tables covered in vials and papers, obviously some type of research. She looked past that, silently gasping at the sight of ten strangely colored animals.

Ninja wolves.

She staggered in further, leaning the bulk of her weight against one of the numerous tables. Several beakers clacked and rattled dangerously close to tipping. In the span of several seconds, the kunoichi contemplated what action she should take, if any at all. She was glad that she hadn't found any children, but still felt utter hatred for the snake sannin. _They're as helpless as newborns, _she seethed; _how dare he take summons and fucking lock them up as if they're prisoners! _The man was either incredibly stupid or thoroughly insane. Sakura would have placed her bet on the latter.

The cruel and ruthless ANBU in her knew she was wasting precious time that could be used to get away. Every second squandered was a second closer the sound nin were to recapturing her. It would be easy in her current chakra-less, near exhausted state. All the same, the caring medic of Team 7 couldn't stand the thought of leaving the poor things when she had a chance to free them. Although, what if they were one of Orochimaru's feral experiments? An image of Sasuke flashed through her mind, phantom pain flaring in her sides, and she immediately felt all sympathy wash clean from her body.

When the scale tipped to the ANBU side and she turned to leave, her eyes caught with those of a beautiful blonde pup. Its blue orbs held more knowledge than she thought capable for a bestial summon—especially one so young. Normally with age came awareness, the older a summon, the more humanly intelligent they became. It was as if the juvenile knew that if it stayed any longer than death was inevitable. Pain and helplessness colored its irises a dark azure, but beyond that, concealed amidst the vulnerability, Sakura could see a spark of hope when it looked at her. Her black heart nearly broke in two.

_Those eyes are sirens._

Sakura cursed and stumbled over to the two large enclosures, kneeling before one. Grabbing at the bars, she winced at the shock of agony that hit her palms, quickly removing them to assess the damage. She should have known that some kind of confinement jutsu would be placed on the cages; otherwise the wolves would have broken free long ago. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed hold once more and pulled with all the strength she had, unknowingly using the last of her chakra to fuel her force. The door groaned and broke off its hinges, vertigo making Sakura stumble back. Hurriedly moving to the other cell, she ripped the gate off, steam rising from her black leather gloves, the smell of burnt flesh overtaking the atmosphere. _At least my hands and arms match now…_

The wolves shuffled out, all sitting in a big group in the center of the room. Hearing people crashing down the hall, Sakura ran out the door, barely aware of the tiny pitter-patters of feet following her.

Behind her mask, the kunoichi's eyes widened when she came to a halt. The hallway came to a dead end and split in two directions, both looking exactly the same: white, sterile and indistinct. Why couldn't there be one of those glowing EXIT signs like in the civilian restaurants? Grumbling, she narrowed her _henge_'d eyes. Right or left?

An orange-tinted wolf scuttled to the left of her, all nine of the others following in its footsteps. Trusting their instincts, only because she had to choose either way, Sakura dashed after them, pulling alongside the ginger hound. It swiveled its head to look at her, sinister eyes such a deep grey they seemed like ashen coals smoldering through her. Storing this information in the back of her mind, Sakura set all her thoughts on going faster. The adrenaline of her break-out seemed to trickle into nonexistence with each passing second, the wounds on her thighs beginning to flame in agony.

Once again, the wolves turned another left when their path split, no hesitation shivering through their small bodies. Sakura pumped her legs harder as a single blue door stood erect at the end of the hallway. She grasped her bleeding hands around the knob and nearly tore the door out of its frame in her haste, finding a set of stairs that led to a final door in the ceiling within. Relief flooded her body just as heavenly light seeped into her vision through the outline. She was blind and suddenly living through her first dawn. It was enlightening and empowering.

Sweet, sweet freedom.

Only now did she remember how good it felt.

Beginning to lose alertness of her surroundings, with another burst of adrenaline –the only thing that seemed to be keeping her going- Sakura took off into the surrounding forest. She prayed that her almost inexistent chakra signal and the cover brought by the dense greenery would delude her trail enough for the sound nin's to miss her.

The 19-year-old ran for what felt like hours, until her legs screamed for her to stop. A cool drop of water hit her bare bicep, sliding down clammy pale skin. More followed, darkening her black clothing. A large crack of thunder reverberated through the air, rain pouring down in buckets, drenching all the sorry creatures not under cover. A pure black wolf jutted from their current course, heading off with the others. Senses dulling, she pursued them without thought, blinking her eyes rapidly to stay awake.

As the group broke from the woodland, a large cliff came into view, chasm scoring deep like a vein into the Earth. The wolves –one by one- hopped down from a ledge close to her. Sakura followed and slid over the side, feet coming into contact with the bottom of an outcropping in the rock face. It provided enough shelter for all of them to stay out of the rain, but little more room to maneuver. For the time being it would do well enough—the kunoichi was hardly in any position to search for anything better. She didn't stop to ponder how the wolves could have known a place like this existed.

Collapsing against the wall, Sakura slid unceremoniously down to the moss-covered floor, unthinkingly aggravating the wounds on her back. She hissed as the edges of her vision blinked, blackness starting to creep in like an unwanted fog. Fatigue, blood loss, and empty chakra stores added up to her inevitable exhaustion; any knowledgeable medic may have said a normal person would have fainted long ago. Though, she'd never been quite "normal," had she? Oh, well.

As sanctuary seeped past its dam, Sakura was aware of the haunting image of ten pairs of glowing eyes staring at her. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine when she looked directly into the stare of a dark cobalt wolf. God, that gaze was familiar, too familiar. It almost looked like-

Her thoughts ceased as her conscious faded into the nothing.

**~ \ ~ Prologue End. ~ / ~**

**A/N: I shouldn't have posted this. I wrote it about a year ago and recently edited it (barely, not really, oops). I should be updating **_**Pretty Little Devil. **_**Damn. But I'm back into the Naruto fandom again, so that's a plus. Expect more from me soon!**

**Live well, darlings!**

**Yours, Alice**


	2. Decisions

Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictitious in all aspects and does not generate any profit whatsoever. The creative rights for the characters mentioned belong to their original creators. Any lyrics and quotes cited belong to their respectful originators.

Warnings: This is unedited, not even read-over content, so I apologize for any mistakes. I'm so lazy it isn't even funny.

**The Sins Are Taking Over**

"**Decisions."**

**~ \ ~ Chapter One Start. ~ / ~**

Awareness gradually seeped into the black, warding off the heavy hands of a dreamless sleep fraught with phantom pain. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust after they blinked open. The sun's early morning rays had only just begun to heat the cool, misty ground below her; the time was probably somewhere around six or seven. Dew layered her blistered arms in a mildly comforting embrace, caressing the torturous reminders of the day prior still hidden beneath tattered clothes. Releasing a weary breath, she slowly maneuvered into an upright position, biting her lip to stifle the near blinding pain coursing through her body with each movement. Sometime during the night she must have slid down the slick rock wall, leaving her sides aching and preexisting wounds flaming.

Everything seemed dreary-colored and lackluster, somehow empty; it wasn't an altogether unfamiliar feeling—though it was rare when she felt it. Chakra exhaustion had different effects for every individual, Sakura's just happened to involve dulled senses and a certain level of disconnection from the world around her. It would ware off in a few minutes, but even the short amount of time spent in this state bore on her well-being (or semi-okay-being at the moment).

Turning to look towards the inner part of the outcropping, the sight that greeted her was unsettling, if not just plain bad. _Really bad. _

Wolves.

Juvenile wolves, but still bestial predators nonetheless.

One of the larger ones stood stiffly several feet in front of her, ears erect and angled forward. He held his tail toward the ground, slightly curled to the back, immediately informing her that he was the Alpha of the pack—the posture _screamed _'dominant'. The nine others all situated themselves in miscellaneous positions of suspicion or indifference. Abruptly, Sakura was glad she had an Inuzuka for a best friend, perhaps she'd go easy on him in their next spar (but then again, nah). Now she could definitely reap the benefits of all the time spent with the hounds at the compound. It irked her somewhat that Kiba had been right in his prediction that "someday you'll need to know this, toots." Though his wording still pissed her off, she admitted her faults in denying the statement. He was right, she was wrong.

He'd never know about it, though.

Shifting led to an overwhelming surge of pain and Sakura hissed, peering down at her marred, gruesome-looking hands. Now that the adrenaline of her madcap escape had long worn off, the full effects of the Sound Nin's "special techniques" and her own misguidedly sentimental actions were made known to her.

Ignoring for now the ten wolves, she took stock of her injuries, beginning for now with her hands. If she wanted to heal everything else, she needed her hands in full working condition. In addition to the screw-shaped holes in the tips of her fingers, her palms were completely burned, skin brown and goo-like with bits of bone showing in some particularly severe places. The remnants of her fingerless leather gloves were now adhered to her skin, becoming one with the ruined flesh, and she knew she'd have to separate them before doing anything else lest they become permanent.

Sakura breathed in deeply and then _ripped. _A choked whimper escaped her throat before she could stop it and she felt a surge of anger at herself as she violently tore the other free, trying to stop the uncontrollable shaking as agony overcame her being. _You aren't that weak little kunoichi anymore! Get a hold of yourself! You've felt worse and never made a sound!_

Green light surrounded her hands as she proceeded to heal her wounds, sighing slightly in relief as pale pink new skin replaced the old. It took several additional minutes to heal the sandpaper-scraped burns (more like complete erosions) on her arms, three broken ribs, fractured clavicle, shattered shoulder blades and multiple kunai-made stab wounds in her thighs. By then she had barely enough chakra to make the trip back to Konoha from…wherever she was. Hopefully Kiba and Akamaru would be searching for her with the rest of her team—though it physically pained her to have to rely on them. She was an ANBU Captain for kami's sake; she shouldn't have to rely on anybody.

Remembering the 'slight' problem at the back of the cave, she turned to see that all of the wolves now seemed to be staring at her in possible contemplation (she wasn't quite sure). They still regarded her with suspicion, probably due to the fact she still had her mask on and _henge_ still in effect. Too bad, though. Protocol stated no ANBU was to reveal their true identity when active out of the village. If they wanted the protection of Konoha, which she was willing to provide since she'd already gone through the trouble of saving them, they'd have to deal with it.

Voice low and vaguely raspy from nonuse, she spoke, "If you can understand me, indicate so."

Several seconds passed with no movement from any of them and she was about to right off the possibility of them having matured enough for human contact when the leader bowed his head to some extent.

Sakura felt marginally better knowing she wouldn't have as much trouble communicating with them as she'd thought and inquired directly, "Can you depart back to the summoning world?"

Another pause before the wolf shook its head once. The others looked as if they could not understand her, except perhaps the midnight black and the bi-colored one. It might be quite awhile before they had enough power and foreknowledge to return if that were the case. None of them had the capacity to speak like Kakashi's faithful pug, Paku (which reminded her: she needed to buy more shampoo when she got back, but that was off topic).

Opening her mouth to ask another question, she stopped at the appearance of several familiar chakra signatures advancing at high speeds, smiling behind her Washi mask. Three figures appeared at the entrance of the outcropping, one of her team obviously missing. The guilty one, _little shit. _Their appearance startled the wolves into giving relatively loud warning growls. Sakura huffed as they saluted her, Nara's unmistakable form noticeably slouched.

Kiba took the opportunity to question her in the resulting silence, "Are you okay, Sa-_Captain_? Captain?"

Ignoring his near slip, she waved away his concern as she stood, halting their approach. "That's not what's important right now. Misago (Osprey), did you track my scent to the Sound Base?"

"It was abandoned by the time we got there; Hariā (Harrier) tracked you back here," Kiba informed her, patting Akamaru on the head for his good work. "What's up with the wolves?" he asked afterwards, finally unleashing his no doubt overpowering interest. She'd seen his gaze travel to and from the animals multiple times already, though he'd only just arrived. He was definitely an Inuzuka, but sometimes he had the curiosity of a cat—it had gotten him into trouble (that she had to get him out of) more times than he would admit without shame.

"Broke them out when I escaped. When we get back, I'll explain everything to the Hokage," she told him then turned to their silent strategist. "Fukurō (Owl), where's Farukon (Falcon)? Did he return to the village like I instructed?"

Nara nodded lazily, though she could see his brown eyes assessing her for any injuries. He'd probably already noticed the blood stains, as had Kiba and Akamaru the smell, but they both knew she could take care of herself, especially being possibly one of the best medics in the country.

"We have the coordinates to give to the Hokage for further inspection when we get back," he informed her in his slow drawl.

Sakura nodded and addressed the by now silently observing wolves, "As a certified ANBU Captain with S-Class clearance, I am offering you temporary asylum as victims of Orochimaru, convicted traitor of Konohagakure no Sato, until such a time when you are physically able to return to the summoning realm. Do you accept?"

Her motives were mixed: offering the wolf summons sanctuary would further enhance their bond with Konoha as well as reinforce their positive outlook on accepting more contract users from them. Plus, Kiba would probably bitch and moan if she didn't let them come. She doubted they'd all survive in the wild without outside protection and that thought didn't sit well with Team 7's Haruno Sakura.

Again, the orange wolf indicated an agreement, though he still seemed hesitant. It was to be expected, though; after all, those who trusted easily never made it far in the shinobi world. Again, her thoughts strayed to Sasuke and she forcibly with-held a wince, retracting the urge to clench at her sides. _Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me._

Shaking away those thoughts, Sakura ordered the three-quarters of her team to move out with a hasty hand signal, the wolves following behind.

It would take the group two days of traveling with many breaks—for Sakura to regain her chakra and the wolves to rest—to return to Konoha. By then, it became apparent that the wolves were more partial to sleeping near Sakura then Nara and Kiba, especially Akamaru. Two alphas within such a close range to each other was never a good thing, but they managed to arrive at the towering Leaf Village gates on the third hot summer morning without incident, though Sakura was often awoken by the golden wolf whose baby blues had resulted in her spontaneous decision to rescue them snuggled close to her side for warmth in the night. She let him stay there if only to deter any conflict that might come with refusing him, but still rested wearily, senses straining for any movement out of the ordinary. She'd take no chance and if he tried to attack her, she'd end him—and the rest if she had to. Thankfully nothing happened, so as soon as they entered the village, ANBU Team Phoenix and four-legged company headed for the Hokage Tower.

Tsunade-shishou's face lit up in temporary surprise at the sight of their tagalongs, but she otherwise showed zero interest. "Report," she ordered, looking towards Sakura.

Sakura immediately began, "The mission was successful; the target effectively eliminated. However, upon our return, Farukon…unknowingly set off a trap set by Sound ninja in the area, apparently coming from a base located nearby. He was poisoned and I was forced to perform an emergency extraction in the field, which took a significant portion of my remaining chakra. The Sound nin found us several minutes later and I was captured in the ensuing fight after ordering Farukon to complete the mission and seek further medical attention here."

She then explained what happened at the base and afterwards, paying no mind to her teammates uncomfortable stances after hearing of her injuries. She frowned behind her mask; that wouldn't do. They needed to be ready come anything. She'd have to take care of that soon. Kiba and Nara explained what happened while she was held hostage and then there was silence.

Tsunade-shishou hummed thoughtfully, reaching for her glass of sake and swirled its alcoholic contents in contemplation. At last, she spoke, "Since you offered them asylum, the wolves will be your responsibility. Should anything happen, you will deal with the consequences." The look in her eyes said enough: _if they hurt anyone before you can stop them, you will be the one to execute them. _

Sakura nodded in understanding and Tsunade finished her statement, "I expect full reports within 48 hours. You're dismissed."

The three bowed; Nara and Kiba and Akamaru both disappeared in clouds of smoke, probably to get some much needed rest. Sakura wanted to rest as well after showering, but she had her 'guests' to take care of. Still in nearly full ANBU uniform, minus her armor, she motioned for them to follow her and they made for her house in the civilian district of Konoha.

They reached their destination, a modest two story with green grass and a slightly neglected flower garden out front, unassuming with a white picket fence and all. She had inherited it after her grandparents death several years ago after the Akatsuki invasion, a convenient time since her parents had recently disowned her for continuing her career as a ninja. It mattered little, though, since she rarely spoke to them anyway.

Unlocking the front door and deactivating the standard safety traps she set up when leaving on a mission, they entered into the front parlor, Sakura taking off her shoes in the traditional civilian manner. Just because her grandparents weren't there didn't mean she shouldn't respect the rules they'd had before they died. They deserved the respect anyway, since they gave her a house. It was more than she could say about her own parents.

The wolves followed her obediently into the living room where she turned to them with hands on her hips. "I don't have many rules other than to not break anything. As it is, you are guests under Konoha's protection, therefore _my _protection, so I will treat you with the respect you deserve as long as you give to me the same respect. I will do everything in my power to help you learn the Reverse Summoning Technique."

The leader regarded her coolly with his intense gray eyes and Sakura would be lying if she said it didn't send a mild shiver down her back. Those eyes were too intelligent, too menacing to be attached to a small wolf. She hadn't been paying much attention to the others, since the orange hound had been the only one communicating with her, but now she took all of them in.

At the orange one's side was a cobalt clue wolf, more slender than the others leading to the revelation that she was the only girl in the pack. Her eyes were somewhere between amber and gray, familiar in a haunting way she decided to ignore for her own sanity's sake.

All of them seemed to be arranged in various pairs. The gold wolf sat beside a russet colored wolf, both of them smaller sized compared to some of the others. The midnight black wolf stood alert yet somehow nonchalant next to the largest wolf in the pack, colored a distinctive blue-gray. The other wolf that seemed to understand her was two-toned black and white split evenly down the middle, hard to forget and exceedingly strange, but most summons had unique coloring. His partner was another black wolf, a shade lesser than the other. The last pair was a completely silver wolf with beautiful violet eyes and a brown wolf with acid green ones. They appeared more temperamental than the others; she often saw them growling and nipping at each other on the journey back to Konoha.

Ten wolves. Living with her. Growing and eating and shitting and shedding. _Goddamn it, there goes my paycheck for the next couple months. Hopefully they mature fast so they can perform the technique soon. When did Kiba say wolves were fully mature? About a year old, right? They can't be more than five months old. Shit, that's seven months together. _

Sakura nearly groaned. She needed a drink (or two), but first a shower and at least twelve hours of sleep. Another thought occurred to her, "What on earth do I call you guys?"

The orange wolf merely tilted his head at her as she went to drag a tired hand down her face, only to feel porcelain beneath her fingers. She had completely forgotten she was still wearing the disguise. In one swift movement, she removed the mask, nearly moaning as she felt cool air touch her face for the first time in days. Her long pink locks spilled across her back, the ends brushing the bare skin at the base of her spine pleasantly. Mint green eyes blinked curiously as the wolves all seemed to pause in their movements, staring at her intensely.

She shivered as she felt the full weight of their gazes, turning away to use the shower upstairs. Everything else could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she'd lock the door to her bedroom. Just in case.

**~ \ ~ Chapter One End ~ / ~**

**A/N: WOW. AN UPDATE. IT'S A MIRACLE. SOMEBODY RECORD THIS MOMENT. Okay, so it's something, right? Nothing exciting, yet. Next chapter will probably be the Akatsuki's point of view to maybe give some background on wtf is going on. Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review if you have the time! Thanks!**

**Live well, darlings!**

**Yours, Alice**


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